1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to character processing apparatus, character processing method, and memory for outputting a character pattern.
2. Related Background Art
Since font data developed to a bit map has an extremely large data amount, in order to store the font data in its form, a memory of a large capacity is required and it is not preferable in terms of the costs or the like. Therefore, in general, by performing a compressing process to such font data, the compressed data is held in a printer, thereby reducing a data amount.
It is a general way to variably magnify characters or the like by using a smoothing and variable magnifying method or the like by an outline vector and to develop into a bit map. A program for developing such outline font data is hereinafter called a "scaler".
In the above conventional method, however, since only single compressing means or scaler is provided, it is difficult to efficiently perform processes. That is, as for the font data developed into the bit map, since a scale of data and a decompression speed differ depending on the method of the compressing and decompressing process, it is improper to apply only a single compression method. With respect to the development into the bit map as well, a scale of data, a speed for development into the bit map, a character quality, and the like differ every character in dependence on a scaler to be applied. Therefore, a method of using the same scaler on a character set unit basis is not an optimum method.